I have been reading about this and there seems to be a conflict among brewers on weather or not its a good thing. Some say its bad because of infection opportunity, while others say its easier and then there are the ones who say its not bad or good, just different. So, is it as simple as just letting it sit over night covered then pitch? or i see some bring it back to a boil (which i think defeats the purpose)? What are YOUR thoughts on this fellow HBT-ers???

Being that I live in FL, sometimes I have to resort to this method. With my tap water bottoming out at 83 degrees in the summer, sometimes I have to do it this way. Don't get me wrong though, I chill my wort down as far as possible first and then I put the wort in the fermenter and let it cool over night. I think that if your process is tight and you sanitize well on the cool side of things then you shouldn't any problems. Of course, things do happen. My motto has always been try it for yourself and do what works for you.

Living in Colorado, the whole state is in a drought and I just can see using several gallons of water to cool the wort (I know a lot of people capture that water for cleaning). I leave it in the pot while I clean up and it usually cool enough to put into the bucket, top off, close it up and go to bed. I pitch when I wake up. Knocks 1/2 hour of the brew day too.

I don't have a wort chiller, and have been successful with the cover and pitch in the morning approach. Be clean, sanitary, and quick, and pitch enough yeast - the no chill method works for me (been doing it for 10 years now)

I have been no chilling right in the kettle for a while without issues...I have noticed clarity issues untill the keg sits cold for a few weeks...but as far as taste...I am enjoying the beer and the save effort. I have actually been doing a combo method whereby the wort goes in a tub swamp cooler 2-4 hours after boil, add ice or change water, then pitch the following day at the proper temp.

Thanks guy's, it seems nobody is against the no chill process. I suppose ill have to give it a try to see for myself. It seems to good to be true. One last question, are there any chill processes that in turn make for a better beer?

I've heard a method described to me that supposedly makes for better beer, but it can only be used for extract and partial mash brewers (or anyone that doesn't do a full boil). Essentially, you leave a gallon or two of water out of the boil, freezing it solid the night before. Once you're done boiling, you pour the hot water on top of the ice blocks (I do this in my bottling bucket), instantly crashing it to 60-80 degrees. I suppose you could add the ice to kettle if you wanted to do it that way. This forces all of the hot break and whatnot to fall out of suspension, as well as causing some cold-forming proteins to drop out. The wort can then be racked off of all that gunk into the fermenter, during which you can fling the hose about and greatly aerate the wort. Getting all of that stuff out of the wort and therefore out of the primary supposedly makes for better beer.

Many would tell you that the faster you cool the wort the better it will be. This allows several things to drop out of the wort (cold break). If you can get rid of the first 100-120 degrees fairly quickly then you should be in good shape.

The word is still out for many people about what you can expect from a no-chill brew. There are many who do it due to water temp or availability issues, but in the very least, even if it doesn't give you the best beer available, it's will still be good beer, as long as you are as careful about sanitation as you are with the rest of the brew.

I think the main thing is that many feel a no chill will not give as clear a beer, or at least ought not to.

If you can seal up the wort and somehow keep the bacteria out until it's pitching time, you should at least not infect the beer while it cools. I have left my BK covered in a snowbank overnight before and it's been fine. I also have an inline filter that would allow the air to draw in during the cooling without allowing bacteria to enter. Most people use a plastic container that will collapse during the cooling. The same effect is that you keep the bugs out until you pitch.

I would be curious to see some real comparisons and BJCP testing results to know just what people can expect. It should not be a very difficult thing to split a batch and no chill half and chill the other half and see how they compare. Also get a few good tasters to give opinions about the beer.

Personally, I have scored a 43.5 on an American Stout that I brewed using a no chill snowbank process. Being a stout the flavors and clarity were not as apparent as a Pale Ale would be. YMMV.